Apparatus for making a ship unsinkable



United States Patent [72] Inventor Solomon Zalman 101-20 99th St., Ozone Park, N.Y. 11416 2| Appl. No. 771,883 [22] Filed Oct. 30, 1968 [45] Patented Nv.10,l970

[54] APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SHIP UNSINKABLE 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S. Cl 114/68. 1 l 1 [51 1 Int. Cl B63b 43/10; B63h 1 H00 FieldofSearch /11; 114/68,69.

[56] References Cited UNlTED STATES PATENTS 1.204.311 4/1918 Lindsey ll4/69 1,372,175 3/1921 Little 114/68 1,848,502 3/1932 Seaman 114/56X 3,152,570 10/1964 Dyer.....,.,. l14/68X 3,253,568 5/1966 nnizaro 115/11 3,318,278 5/1967 Huebotter 114/125 Primary Examiner-Trygve M, Blix Attorney-Allison Cv Collard I o u n 0 001,0 nun i l, DUB OOOO c1001: 00 not:

9 O 0 D 0 0 D Q 0 O O O 0 Patented Nav. 10, 1970 8 3,538,878

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INVENTOR. SOLOMON ZA L MAN WWQ. 09 g APPARATUS FOR MAKING A SHIP UNSINKABLE This invention relates to a method and apparatus for constructing oeeangoing vessels as unsinkable against torpedoes, mines, icebergs, and collisions.

More specifically, this invention relates to a method and apparatus for the construction of ships having a multitude of closed cell compartments disposed within its hull, surrounding the cargo and passenger areas.

Most conventional ships are constructed with bulkhead compartments which may be closed off and sealed in the event that the hull of the ship becomes broken by torpedoes, mines, icebergs, or collisions. It has always been believed that ships having bulkhead compartments were unsinkable by the above described disasters. However, in view of several recent ship collisions in which ships were lost as a result of substantial damage to their hulls, marine designers are currently looking for ways to construct unsinkable ships. It has also been found that a major collision of the ship producing a tear in the hull which exposes a plurality of bulkhead compartments can cause the ship to list so severely, that sea water, particularly during inclement weather, can pour over the decks into the interior of the ship. The difficulty with the construction of conventional bulkhead compartments is that each ofthe compartments encompasses a large volume of the ship's interior so that flooding of only a few bulkheads can cause the ship to list severely.

The present invention overcomes all of these disadvantages by eliminating bulkhead compartments and providing a multitude of small, closed-cell rectangular compartments surrounding the hull of the ship which are arranged in a honeycomblike construction. The walls of these closed cell compartments also serve to provide additional strength to the hull, and because of their smaller size, do not subject large volumes of the ships interior to possible flooding. For example, a direct hit as a result of a collision, iceberg or torpedo, will only flood a small percentage of these compartments while still maintaining the hull of the ship afloat. Each of the compartments are constructed from welded steel walls which are independent of one another with regard to support and strength. Therefore, any breakdown of the walls of one compartment does not necessarily endanger the walls of any of the adjoining compartments so that the safety of the hull of the ship may be preserved. ln addition, the sealed compartments which are constructed adjacent to the keel of the ship may be flooded with sea water in order to improve the ballast of the ship while it is in motion. The honeycombed construction of the compartments according to the invention extends from the keel, to just below the main deck of the ship, well above the water line. At or near the water line, the number of sealed compartments are sufficient to withstand the impact of most sea disasters without exposing the interior of the ship containing cargo and passengers. Additional compartments provided well above the water line will provide additional buoyancy in order to maintain the ship afloat in the event ofthe flooding of the lower compartments.

The ship is also powered by turbojet engines, located at the stern and directed outwardly so that the exhaust and smoke of these power plants do not discomfort the passengers and crew of the ship. The turbojet engines also provide additional speed, maneuverability and stability of the ship, while it is traveling.

it is therefore an object according to the present invention to provide an improved unsinkable ship which contains a multitude of scaled compartments completely surrounding its hull.

It is another object according to the present invention to provide an unsinkable ship which contains a plurality of sealed compartments each of which is independently constructed of the other and extend from the keel to just below the main deck of the ship.

It is still a further object according to the present invention to provide an unsinkable ship which is simple in design, easy to construct, and reliable and safe in operation.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in connection with accompanying drawing which discloses an embodiment of the invention of the present invention. lt should be understood, however, that the drawing is designed for the purpose of illustration only, and not as a definition of the limits of the invention as to which reference should be made to the appended claims.

In the drawing, wherein similar reference characters denote similar elements throughout the several views:

HG. 1;and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along section 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring to FlGS. l--3, there is shown a plan view of the port side of the ship 10 containing a main deck 18 containing a superstructure extending substantially along the length of deck 18 and terminating adjacent to its stern. Connected on the stern of the ship, on either side, are a plurality of turbojet engines 12 which have their outputs 32 directed along a horizontal plane toward the rear of the ship. Each of the turbojets 12 is connected to a main fuel tank 11 by means of fuel line 31. Because of the turbojet power plants, the ship no longer requires smoke exhaust stacks so that the passengers no longer suffer any discomfort from cinders. Turbojets 12 also improve the top cruising speed of ship 10 thereby increasing possible hull damage from collision with icebergs, mines, and torpedoes.

Therefore, surrounding the hull of ship 10 are a multitude of sealed compartments as shown in detail in H05. 2 and 3, which extend throughout the length of the ship, and from the keel to below its main deck 18. As shown in FIG. 2, the side of port hull 13 is lap straked so that the sections of the hull descend in overlapping relationship from deck 18, toward the keel. This provides additional strength to the hull surface to resist damage from collisions. The outer surface of the hull may also be constructed as shown on its starboard side 14, from conventional flat steel.

The cargo carrying areas of the ship are defined by internal side wall 16 and bottom curved wall 17 which permit the ship to receive bulk cargo objects without damaging or interfering with the sealed compartments surrounding the hull. The water line 15 of ship 10 is designed to be higher in elevation than compartments 19 which are adjacent to the keel of the ship. Compartments 19 may be filled with water to serve as part of the ballast of ship 10. As additional cargo is loaded onto the ship, the ship will set lower into the water, orin effect, water line 15 will move higher along the side of the hull approaching deck surface 18. From the design of the angle of the hull as shown by side walls 13 and 14, with respect to cargo wall 16, it is obvious that as ship 10 is displaced deeper into the water, a greater number of compartments 20 become available to protect the ship along its water line. This is an important concept in the design of the hull since the inertia of the ship increases substantially as additional cargo is loaded thereon. This reduces the resiliency of side walls 13 and 14 if the ship is in collision, so that the side walls 13 and 14 are more likely to cave in than ship 10 is to glance off the point of impact and as sume another course. Therefore, the additional compartments 20, which become available at the water line when the ship sinks deeper into the water, compensate for the cargo to provide additional protection for ship 10.

The top of compartments 20 as shown in FIG. 2 terminate near the top of deck 18 so that passengers and crew may use the space therebetween as living quarters on ship i0. 1! is obvious that the space between the top of compartments 2t), and deck 18, can be raised to include several decks for oceangoing passenger vessels.

Referring to H6. 3, there is shown a detailed construction of each of the compartments 20 having individual side walls 23 and 25, and end walls 24 and 21. Each of compartments 20 therefore is a closed or welded cell compartment having a rectangular volume surrounded by six sides preferably, constructed from steel or iron. Compartments 26 are disposed in staggered relationship to provide additional strength to the hull. In addition, another embodiment of the invention includes compartments which are filled with styrofoam, polyurethane, or other closed cell plastic material instead of air, as shown by compartments 2(PA in FIGS. 2 and. 3. The plastic filling in compartments 20A adds significantly to the impact resistance of ship so that even if the structure of the cell is broken, the plastic filling will prevent sea water from completely flooding the compartment and reducing the buoyancy of ship 10.

It is anticipated that the improvements shown in embodiments of this invention will substantially improve the safety of passenger and cargo carrying vessels and during wartime, provide torpedo and mine resistant hulls.

While only a few embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be understood that many changes and modifications may be made thereunto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

lclaim:

1. In a ship construction, the hull section comprising; a pinrality of rectangularly shaped sealed compartments surrounding the hull and extending from the keel to the deck, said compartments increasing in number from the keel to the deck, each of said compartments being staggered with respect to adjoining compartments, and including individually formed sidewalls.

2. The hull section as recited in claim 1 wherein the hull comprises a lapped-straked construction surrounding said rectangular compartments.

3. The hull section as recited in claim 1 additionally comprising a plurality of turbojet engines secured to the stern of the ship and directed horizontally outward for powering the ship along a body of water.

i. The hull section as recited in claim 3 additionally comprising a closed cell plastic material disposed at least one of said compartments surrounding the hull of the ship. 

